Toy



G. LICITIS March 12, 1963 TOY Filed Aug. l5, 1960 United States Patent OFiled Aug. l5, 1966, Ser. No. 49,482 3 Claims. (Cl. 46-43) The presentinvention relates generally to a manipulative toy and more particularlyto a toy having a track adaptable to receive an object for movementtherealong incident to the manipulation of the track.

Toys which require manipulative skill of one type or another on the partof the user have always attracted and interested a great many people byvirtue of the challenge presented. When the user masters the device, oreven develops a certain proficiency in its operation, he is left with afeeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. In addition, the interest insuch devices may often be enhanced by having different people operatethem in competition with each other.

One type of toy falling into this general group is the type wherein thedevice is manipulated to move an object along a track. Devices of thistype, however, have heretofore generally been either so simple that theyhave failed to hold the interest of the user for any length of time, orthey have been made quite cumbersome or unwieldy by the attempt toincorporate various additional features and mechanisms into theirdesign.

The prime object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmanipulative toy capable of operating to arouse and hold the interest ofthe user. A further object is to provide an improved, compactmanipulative toy which the user can hold in one hand to simultaneouslymanipulate and otherwise control. Another object is to provide such atoy which is readily disassembled for transporting, storage, and as anadded enjoyment feature. A more specific object is the provision of amanipulative toy which includes a track for objects to move along,supported by a handle within which the objects are stored and from wherethey are selectively brought forth simultaneously with the manipulationof the track.

- Another speciiic object is the creation of a mystery efr'ect in a toyhaving a track by providing means for moving a section of that track toallow an object to emerge onto and disappear from the track. Stillanother object is to provide an interest-holding and entertainingmanipulative toy which at the same time is relatively simple andeconomical.

`Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparentfrom the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of a manipulative toy including anover-and-under, figure-eight track and embodying various features of thepresent invention, the toy is shown held by the user and there areseveral objects positioned on the track for movement therealong;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the toy shown in FIG. l;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side View taken generally along line 3-3 ot FIG.2, showing a portion of the toy with various parts broken away and insection, the toy being shown with the magazine empty and closed and thepiston in the depressed position;

FIGURE 4 is generally similar to FIG. 3, with the magazine open and withthe piston released and dispensing balls (shown in phantom) onto thetrack;

FIGURES 5 through 9 are enlarged sectional views at various points alongthe track of FIG. Z taken, respectively, along the lines 5-5 through 99, showing the relative height of the track at these various points.

The invention relates generally to a manipulative toy. The preferredembodiment of the invention shown in "ice the drawings is a toy 20comprising a track 22 adapted to receive an object 24 for movementtherealong incident to manipulation of the track. The embodiment furtherincludes a handle 26 which is connected to the track 22 for supportingit, and a magazine 28 on the handle 2.6 and adapted to receive theaforementioned object 24. The magazine 28 communicates with the track22. As shown in the drawings, there is also a control means 30associated with the handle 26 and connected with the magazine 28, whichis adapted to selectively control movement of the object 24 between themagazine and the track. Thus, the user may hold the toy 20 by thehandle, and operate the toy so as to control movement ot the object bothalong the track and between the track and the magazine. 'Ille handle 26is preferably detachably connected to the track 22 so that toy 20 may bedisassembled when it is carried or stored.

The endless track 22 of the illustrated embodiment, seen best in FIGS. land 2, includes a generally horizontal, flat base section 32 comprisedof an upper plate 4Z and a lower plate 44. The base section 32 isconnected to the underside of a ligure-eight shaped main track section34. Base section 32 is located beneath the intersecting part of tracksection 34. At that intersecting part of the ligure-eight, an underlyingpart 36 of the track 22 passes through an underpass 37 in theintersecting overlying part 38 of the track, as shown particularly byFIGS. 1, 5, and 9. The resulting difference in height of the track 22 atdifferent points along its length is shown generally in FIG. 1, and moreparticularly in FIGS. 5 through 9.

In the illustrated toy it is quite desirable that the object 24 movefreely along the track 22, and, while there are any number ofcombinations of track construction and object contigurations which wouldprobably be adequate to accomplish result, one very satisfactorycombination is that shown in the drawings. The illustrated 'object 24'is -a ball or sphere such as a marble or a gumball. -It is desirablethat the ball 24 have suiiicient Weight to maintain itself upon thetrack 22 as it moves along it. 'I'he illustrated construction of themain track section 34 for accommodating the ball 24 is a channelshapedcross section with the legs of the channel extending upwardly so as toprovide a pair of spaced-apart, parallel main rails 35 comprisingaligned pairs of rail lengths 45, 46, and 46. As shown in the drawings,the main rails 35 are spaced-apart suciently so as to support the ball24 while allowing enough of it to extend downwardly between the rail-s35 to maintain itself upon the track.

Thus, an effective, low-friction, rolling contact is provided betweenthe track 22 and the ball 24. Of course, as :already noted, otherobjects or 'tracks might be utilized, as for example a cylindricalobject `or a monorail arrangement. The illustrated track 22 is banked atthe curves by making one rail 35 higher than the other so that thelcontact between the balls 24 and the rails 35 is higher at the outsideof the track, as shown particularly in FIGS. 6 through 8. Thus, theballs 24 may be moved around the curves iat a faster speed withoutbecoming disengaged from the track 22.

While the main track section 34 is Iin the shape of a ligure-eight, itdoes not completely close the figure, there being left a relativelyshout gap 39 between the ends of the section 34. As shown in thedrawings, the gap 3-9 is located at the underlying part 36 of the track22. There is an opening or aperture 40 in the base section 32 underlyingand genenally coextensive with the gap 39, and also a longitudinal slot52 in section 32 extending for- 0 wardly from the opening 40. Generallythe gap 39,

the opening 4l), and the slot S2 cooperate with various other parts, yetto be described, to provide movement of 3 the balls 24 onto and off ofthe track. Their full operation will become clear as the descriptionproceeds.

In the illustrated toy 20, the handle 26 is detachably connected to thetrack. The structure of the illustrated toy which provides both thedetachable connection and the herein above-mentioned elements, i.e., gap39', opening 40 and slot 52, will now be described.

Generally, there is an aperture 50 in the upper plate 42' of the basesection 32. The lower plate 44 of the base section 32 has the handle 26fixed to its underside and is itself detachably secured to the undersideof the upper plate 42 beneath the aperture 50 in the position shown bythe broken .lines in FIG. 2. As seen best in FIGS. 2 and 3, two pair ofrail lengths, a forward pair 46 and a rearward pair 46', secured to thelower plate 44, extend upwardly through the aperture 50 and aligned withrail lengths 45 to comprise the main rails 35 and define the gap 39. Thelower plate 44, which has the opening 40 and the slot 52, forms a wallacross the aperture 50 except for the said opening and slot. The handle26 is detachably held in place by virtue of an overhanging lip 48 oneach of the forward rail lengths 46 which engages a shoulder 49 formedon the adjoining rail length 45, and a locking rivet 51 movably mountedon the lower plate 44 and received in a locking slot 43 in the upperplate 42. By moving the rivet 51 to the rearward end of the slot 43, sothat the rivet overhangs the edge of the slot 43, the lower plate 44 isdetachably fixed to the upper plate 42. To detach the handle 26 from thetrack 22, the rivet 51 is moved out of engagement with the edge of the`slot 43. The ilexibility of the lower plate 44 and the play betweenparts allowing a certain amount of rearward movement of that lower plate44, enable the rearward end of plate 44 Ito be lowered and -said lowerplate 44 to be separated from the upper plate 42,` thus detaching thehandle 26 from the track 22.

In the preferred embodiment, the generally vertical, elongated magazine28, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, is located within the handle 26beneath the opening 40 so as to communicate with the track 22'. Themagazine 28 is adapted to receive a plurality of the balls 24 in stackedor generally vertically aligned relationship longitudinally within themagazine.

More specifically, the magazine 28 in the illustrated toy is `formed bywalling off the rearward portion of the handle 26 by means of agenerally vertical transverse wall 53 which extendsbetween the sidewall-s of the handle. The balls 24 are urged upwardly in the magazine 28and out onto the track through 'the opening 40 by means of a piston 54which is slidable within the magazine and-biased `upwardly by a coiledcompression-spring 56 positioned between the piston 54 4and the bottomof the magazine. The piston 54 may be releasably `locked in a lower ordepressed position, as shown in FIG. 3, against the force of the spring56, to permit both loading of the magazine 28, and also entry of theballs into the magazine from the track. This releasable lockingfeature-is provided by a generally Vertical, slot 58 in a side wall ofthe magazine 28. The slot 58 extends 10ngitudinally of the magazine 28and has a forwardly extending notch at its lower end which provides arestraining shoulder 59. A button 60, secured to the piston 54, extendsthrough the slot 58 for finger engagement. The piston 54 is smaller thanthe forward width of the magazine` 28 and the slot 58 is so located thatthe piston can be moved forwardly when the button 60 is pulled to thelower end of the slot to seat the button under the shoulder 59. Thebutton 60 will remain seated,` maintaining the piston 54 in thedepressed position, fby virtuegof the upward force of the spring 56onthe piston. The piston 54 may be released from this position bypushingthe button 60 rearwardly so as to disengage it from the shoulder.The relationship of this feature tothe entire operation of the devicewill become apparent in the light of the following disclosure.

In the illustrated embodiment, a short movable track section 62 isreceived in the gap 39 and over the opening 40, as shown in FIG. 3. Themovable track section 62 is of generally similar, channel-shaped crosssection as the main track section 34, having a pair of rails 63 whichalign with the main rails 35 to provide parallel rails forming theendless, figure-eight shaped track 22 of the illustrated device. Bothrails 63 of the movable track section 62 are tapered outwardly towardtheir upper edge at both of their ends, and the adjacent edges of themain rails 3S are conversely tapered so that the movable rails 63 arereceived in mating engagement, facilitating their ready and correctplacement when they are lowered.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in 'the illustrated toy 20, the control means30 include a generally vertical plate 64, pivotally supported on thehandle 26 and connected to the movable track section 62 so as to controlthe movement of the balls 24 into and out of the magazine 28.

More specifically, the rearward portion of the upper edge of verticalplate 64 is secured to the underside of the movable track section 62,and the plate 64 is pivotally mounted on a pin 70 supported between aspaced-apart pair of ears 72 extending forwardly from the upper end ofthe handle 26. The vertical plate 64 extends within a vertical slot 66in the front wall of the handle 26 and another shorter vertical slot 68in the transverse wall 53, which aid in locating and provide lateralsupport for the plate 64. The plate 64 is biased by a small hairpinspring 78 ywhich winds around the pin 70, and has one end fixed to theplate 64 and the other end abutted against the underside of the basesection 32. The spring 78 urges the plate 64 in the counterclockwisedirection, toward the position shown in FIG. 3, wherein the tracksection 62 is seated and the magazine 28 is closed by the rear edge `ofthe plate 64.

The forward edge of the vertical plate 64 extends outwardly from thehandle 26 and serves as a trigger 76, while the rearward edge provides asmooth cam or guide surface 80 for closing the magazine 28 as notedabove,

and for directing the movement of the balls 24 onto the track 22 whenthe trigger 26 is pulled. The guide surface is also adapted to directthe balls 24 back into the magazine. Pulling the trigger 76 rotates theplate 64 in the clockwise direction against the force of the spring 78to a position such as that shown in FIG. 4, wherein the movable tracksection 62 is raised and the magazine is opened, allowing the balls 24`to emerge onto the track 22. When the plate 64 is rotated it movesslidably within vertical slots 66 and 68 and horizontal slot 52, whichslots provide guidance and lateral support for the plate 64 and, thus,aid in properly aligning the rails 63.

Now that the structure of the toy 20 has been set forth its operationmay be readily understood. To load the top, the piston 54 may be movedto the depressed position and the trigger 76 pulled, raising the movabletrack section 62 and opening the top of the magazine 28. A plurality ofballs 2'4 may then be dropped into the magazine, and after the trigger76 is released to close the magazine and the piston 54 is released, thedevice is ready to operate. The user grips the handle 26 and by pullingthe trigger 76 rotates the vertical plate 64, raises the track section62, and opens the magazine 28, allowing the spring 56 to urge the balls24 upwardly so that they will emerge, one at a time, out of the magazine2S and ont-o the track 22. By tilting the track 22 the user may controlthe rolling of the balls 24 along the track, and by operating thetrigger at the same time he may simultaneously allow additional balls tobe discharged onto the track while controlling the movement of thosealready on the track.

Of course, the operation may be generally reversed in that the balls 24are initially placed upon the track 22', the piston 54 releasably lockedin the depressed position, Aand the track tilted in coordination with`the pulling of the trigger '76 so as to catch or swallow the ballsi.e., cause them to drop into the open magazine 28.

When the toy Ztl is not in use, or is being transported, it may bereadily disassembled by disengaging the handle 26 from the track 22 foreasier handling, conservation of space, minimizing the risk of damage,etc.

Thus, the preferred embodiment presents a very entertaining andinterest-sustaining toy which the user can hold in one hand and operate,not only controlling movement of the balls along the track, but also,and simultaneously, controlling their entry and exit onto and oif of thetrack. Storing the balls within the handle makes for a very compactunit, but also of great importance, since we are in the area ofimaginative `and entertaining toys, is `the rather mysterious illusioncreated by having the balls virtually emerge or be swallowed up by thetrack itself. Also, aside from the practical advantages of being able todetach the handle, being able to take something apart and reassemble itprovides its own degree of fascination. Thus, a novel toy possessing anumber of highly interesting and entertaining features is presented.

This invention is not limited to any particular em. bodiment, andobviously various of the details of the illustrated device may bechanged Without departing from the scope of the invention. For example,the particular congnration, construction, or arrangement of the trackmay be changed without departing from the invention.

Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

l1. A manipulative toy comprising a plurality of objects, a trackadapted to receive said plurality of objects for movement therealongincident to the manipulation of said toy, said track having an aperturetherethrough, a handle connected to the underside of the track andextending downwardly therefrom for supporting said track, a magazineWithin said handle adapted to receive said plurality of objects inaligned relationship to one another, the upper end of said magazinebeing positioned adjacent said track and communicating with said trackthrough said aperture through said track, means in said magazine adaptedto urge said objects out of said magazine through said aperture in theorder of their alignment, and control means associated with said handleand connected to said magazine, said control means being adapted toselectively block said aperture so as to control movement of saidobjects between said magazine and said track.

2. A manipulative toy comprising a track adapted to receive an objectfor movement therealong incident to the manipulation of said toy, saidtrack having an aperture therethrough, a handle connected to the trackfor supporting said track, a magazine on said handle adapted to receivethe object, said magazine communicating with said aperture through thetrack, means in said magazine adapted to urge the object out of saidmagazine through said aperture, and movable means associated with saidhandle and connected to said magazine, said movable means including amovable length of track and being adapted to selectively either blocksaid aperture and provide a complete track or unblock said aperture,thereby controlling the mo-vement of the object between said magazineand said track.

3. A manipulative toy comprising a plurality of spherical objects, agenerally horizontal, tiltable, endless track for receiving a pluralityof said objects for movement therealong incident to the manipulation ofsaid toy, said track including a main track section which has a gapbetween its ends, said track also having an aperture therethroughunderlying said gap, a handle connected to and extending downwardly fromsaid track for supporting said track, a magazine within said handleadapted to receive a plurality of said objects in aligned relationshipto one another, the upper end of said magazine being positioned adjacentsaid track and cornmnncating with the aperture therethrough, springmeans in said magazine urging said objects out of said magazine throughsaid aperture in their order of alignment, movable means including amovable section of track and adapted to be received in said gap and oversaid aperture so as to block the aperture, trigger means connected tosaid movable section of track and located adjacent said handle so as tobe operable by the hand of the user gripping said handle for selectivelymoving said movable means to unblock said aperture, and guide meansconnected to said trigger means and adapted when the trigger means areoperated to guide said objects moving between said magazine and saidtracks, whereby the user may grip the handle and control the movement ofobjects between the magazine and the track while simultaneouslycontrolling the movement of objects along the track.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,091,739 Falker Mar. 31, 1914 1,577,363 Richardson Manl, 1926 1,873,677Traver Aug. 23, 1932

1. A MANIPULATIVE TOY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF OBJECTS, A TRACK ADAPTEDTO RECEIVE SAID PLURALITY OF OBJECTS FOR MOVEMENT THEREALONG INCIDENT TOTHE MANIPULATION OF SAID TOY, SAID TRACK HAVING AN APERTURETHERETHROUGH, A HANDLE CONNECTED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TRACK ANDEXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM FOR SUPPORTING SAID TRACK, A MAGAZINEWITHIN SAID HANDLE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID PLURALITY OF OBJECTS INALIGNED RELATIONSHIP TO ONE ANOTHER, THE UPPER END OF SAID MAGAZINEBEING POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID TRACK AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID TRACKTHROUGH SAID APERTURE THROUGH SAID TRACK, MEANS IN SAID MAGAZINE ADAPTEDTO URGE SAID OBJECTS OUT OF SAID MAGAZINE THROUGH SAID APERTURE IN THEORDER OF THEIR ALIGNMENT, AND CONTROL MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID HANDLEAND CONNECTED TO SAID MAGAZINE, SAID CONTROL MEANS BEING ADAPTED TOSELECTIVELY BLOCK SAID APERTURE SO AS TO CONTROL MOVEMENT OF SAIDOBJECTS BETWEEN SAID MAGAZINE AND SAID TRACK.